High North Center

Fremhev bilde

The High North Center, located at Nord University, is a national center for research, education and policy development. The center recognizes and develops innovation, business creation and politics in the High North area.

About the high north center

The High North Center, established in 2007, focuses on assisting companies, organizations and public institutions to increase both awareness and commitment in the High North. Increased recognition of the Arctic potential leads to higher demands for local knowledge and experience.

Projects

AlaskaNor: Opportunities for Blue Growth in Alaska & North Norway

Main project aim: To explore commonalities and differences between Alaska and North Norway, with the purpose of pinpointing room for further collaboration, as well as lessons and opportunities relevant for both parts of the Arctic. It builds on a small project from Arctic-2030 - ‘Norway-Alaska Economic Development Cooperation in the Maritime Arctic’ – which in 2017 helped establish a ‘task force’ of Norwegian and Alaskan actors concerned with the blue economy.

Key problems to be adressed: Uncoordinated actions and non-systematic information concerning blue economy potential and activities across the Arctic, in particular in North Norway and Alaska.

Goals:

Define the overarching framework of the “blue economy” and what connect this across the different work packages.

Identifying the key factors in each work package, synthesizing findings and coordinate the other WPs.

Ensure that all WPs are streamlined and tackle the same questions, while also communicating the results and progress externally through media.

Re-training and social adaptation of military officers and their family members in Ukraine

Main project aim: To reduce the negative social consequences of military and economic reforms in Ukraine on retired military personnel and their family members.

The secondary aims are amongst others to help the participants to open their own businesses, as well as to establish new projects between Norwegian and Ukrainian institutions and businesses as a result of the links to the retraining project.

Project results: Integration of military personnel and adult members of their families into civilian society after being discharged from the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other law enforcement agencies in terms of:

Professional retraining in the civil specialties that are in demand in the labour market.

In particular, 18 universities have cooperated with the International Foundation for Social Adaptation and Nord University in the retraining process and many NGOs in the process of psychological adaptation and employment assistance in the period from 2015. Overall, from 2003 to 2017 around 9000 persons were socially adapted thanks to the project.

Internal Control and the COSO framework: Application to the university sector

​The aim of the project is to contribute to modernization of the Ukrainian universities and make them more transparent in their activities. It is a way to assist the European integration of the universities and their financial possibilities for self-development, and to strengthen university autonomy. During project realisation, a main concept of internal control and COSO framework will be elaborated; and local versions, for each university will be proposed. The Norwegian experience will be adapted to the partner universities’ conditions.

The project shall lead to an online competence improvement course with a physical component on the use of Internal Control (IC) and especially the COSO framework for IC for administrative personnel at Ukrainian Universities. This will provide knowledge of a modern framework for internal control and its possible application and practices, with an emphasis on the Public Sector and universities, but also drawing on examples from the private sector. This will help University management with bringing new ideas for improving their systems of internal controls, as well as providing links between Ukrainian universities and the private sectors.

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Financed by: Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education (SIU)

Project duration: January 2018 – October 2019

Participants:

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

Ternopil National Economic University

Yurii Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University

Norwegian-Ukrainian cooperation in a field of Public sector accounting, budgeting and finance Research Education (NUPRE)

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The project goal is harmonization of a research training education in the field of public sector accounting, budgeting and finance, between Nord University (NU), Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (KNU) and other partner universities in the project. Built on a close and lasting cooperation and partnership between NU and KNU, this project aims to establish a joint PhD training program at KNU in order to address the needs of Ukrainian academia in gaining experience and relevant training in conducting the high-quality research. The program will provide opportunity for PhD students and young researchers to receive research training on the international level, skillful in critical thinking when conducting research and able of publishing in good quality international peer-reviewed journals.

The project team involves higher educational institutions (HEIs) from Norway, Ukraine and Azerbaijan, internationally recognized researchers and educators, national authorities and international organizations and is built on the principles of relevance and joint interests, competency in project area, complementary skills and ability to bring cross-country impacts.

The program will address several important needs of Ukrainian higher education:

harmonization of the content of Ukrainian programs for educating postgraduate students

develop deeper knowledge, competences and skills regarding abilities of doing high level international research in the field of public sector budgeting, accounting and finance

reinforce the long-term partnership between higher educational institutions in Ukraine, NU and international partners

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Financed by: Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education (SIU)

GlobalTradeRus “Global Trends in Russian Trade and Industry Policies: Implications for Norwegian – Russian Relations in the High North"

​The main objective for this research project is to build and strengthen the strategic competence on a field that is right now of critical importance for the trade relationship between Norway and Russia. The project will address current trends in Russian trade and industry policies, and analyse how these may affect Norwegian-Russian relations. There will be special emphasis on trade relations and how the Russian WTO membership, CIS and the Eurasian Customs Union might develop and influence the terms of trade policies. The implications for both the Norwegian industry and the Russian industrial actors at all levels will be monitored and analysed.

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Financed by: Research Council of Norway (RCN) and Russian Foundation for Humanities (RFH)

Project duration: March 2015 – March 2018

Participants: MGIMO

Other partners: Fridtjof Nansens Institute

Business Index North

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The project Business Index North (BIN) will accumulate and process information regarding the conditions for Business in the High North. The index will provide both statistical and narrative data for both private companies and governmental bureaus – the ambition is to be a prominent tool in decision making concerning business in the Arctic region. The project focuses on knowledge in the Arctic region.

Conferences

High North Dialogue Worldwide interest in the Arctic is increasing. Changing ice-conditions, regional growth and international geopolitics have placed the High North at the center of attention. High North Dialogue 2019 will address Business in the Arctic.

Publications

We are continuously publishing new research papers. Our associates have taken part in over 300 scientific publications concerning education, business and policy development in the High North region.

For a complete publication list, please visit Current Research Information SysTem in Norway (Cristin)
here

For the press

The High North Center, located at Nord University, is a national center for research, education and policy development. The center recognizes and develops innovation, business creation and politics in the High North area. For additional information, or questions, please contact either: